The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. Situated in the southern part of the city, this grand set of structures covers an area of 273 hectares. To better symbolize heaven and earth, the northern part of the Temple is circular while the southern part is square. The whole compound is enclosed by two walls, a square wall outside a round one. The outer area is characterized by suburban scenery, while the inner part is used for sacrifices. The inner enclosure consists of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Circular Mound Altar. Today the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is the hallmark of Beijing, which enjoys a prolonged history of civilization. The annex halls were symmetrically built on a 1.5-meter-high brick-and-marble terrace, to set off the loftiness and magnificence of the main hall. This unique building, 38 meters in height, is characterized by a cone-shaped structure with triple eaves and a top that is crowned by a gilt ball.
The roofing is made of blue glazed tiles, the color of the sky. Underneath the roof, the beams and brackets are decorated with colored paintings. The base of the structure is a triple-tiered, circular marble terrace. At a distance, the terrace looks like a gigantic, spiraling cloud with the structure perched on top of it. The Imperial Vault of Heaven is the main structure of Heaven's Storehouse. Aside from exquisitely laid out architectures, Heaven's Storehouse is also famous for two structures with peculiar acoustic features, i.e. the Echo Wall and the Triple-Sound Stone. A mere whisper at any point close to the wall can be heard clearly on the other side, although the parties may be 40 or 50 meters apart. This is possible because the wall is round and hermetically constructed with smooth, solid bricks. The Temple of Heaven is also famous for its cypress trees - there are more than 60, 000 cypress trees in all, among which over 4,000 are more than one hundred years old, adding to the solemn atmosphere of the temple.

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace, originally named Qingyi Yuan or the Garden of Clear Ripples, was first constructed in 1750. It was razed to the ground by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860. The Government of the Qing Dynasty started to rebuild it in 1886 with funds that it had misappropriated from the Imperial Navy and other sources. Renamed two years later as Yihe Yuan or the Garden of Health and Harmony, it was supposed to serve as a summer resort for the Empress Dowager Cixi. Known also as the Summer Palace, it was ravaged by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers that invaded China in 1900. The damage was repaired in 1902. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Summer Palace has undergone several major renovations. Its major attractions such as the Four Great Regions, Suzhou Street, the Pavilion of Bright Scenery, the Hall of Serenity, the Wenchang Galleries and the Plowing and Weaving Scenery Area have been successively restored.
The Summer Palace is a monument to classical Chinese architecture, in terms of both garden design and construction. Borrowing scenes from surrounding landscapes, it radiates not only the grandeur of an imperial garden but also the beauty of nature in a seamless combination that best illustrates the guiding principle of traditional Chinese garden design: “The works of men should match the works of Heaven”.

Tian’anmen Square

Tiananmen Square is one of the largest city squares in the world. It is located on the central axis of old Beijing.
In the center of Tiananmen Square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes. It was built in 1952 to commemorate those soldiers who fell fighting in the revolution. Behind the Monument to the People's Heroes is the Chairman Mao's Mausoleum in which the remains of Chairman Mao are displayed in a crystal casket.
The Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution are located on the eastern side of Tiananmen Square. The Museum of Chinese History displays three main periods of Chinese history-the Primitive Society the Slave Society and the Feudal Society while The Museum of the Chinese Revolution emphasizes the history of the past 150 years.
The Great Hall of the People is located on the western edge of Tiananmen Square. It was built in 1959 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
On the north side of the square is the gate "Tiananmen" (The Gate of Heavenly Peace). It was built in 1417 and served as the entrance gate to the Forbidden City.

Badaling Great Wall

The Badaling Great Wall locates the northwest of the Beijing, its position is longitude 116 degrees 65 cents east and latitude 40 degrees 25 cents north, it's a pass of Jundu mountain. It extends in all directions which is the reason it be called Badaling.
Badaling is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 50 miles northwest of Beijing city within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location's strategic importance.
The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone heavy restoration, and in 1957 it was the first section of the wall to open to tourists. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car. The recently completed Badaling Expressway connects Badaling with Beijing city.

Simatai Great Wall

Simatai Great Wall. which is well-known for its five characters of “steepness, compactness, queerness, wonderfulness, and comprehensiveness”, is located in Gubeikou Town to the north-east of Miyun, Beijing. Simatai Great wall is exquisite in its details and is grand as a whole, which is the only part of ancient Great Walls with the original features of Ming Dynasty well reserved.
Simatai Great Wall is separated into eastern and western parts by a valley, with a rainbow-like chain bridge over the valley. The hills in the west are sloping gently, with 20 watchtowers well remained. The jade kylin embossment on the General Tower is showing its originality and vividness. The Great Wall is winding on the hills like a golden dragon with majestic vigor. The eastern part of Great Wall, with 15 watchtowers densely covering the peaks thousand meters high, looks even more fantastic. On the marvelous Fairy Tower, there are white marble arches carved with lotuses, telling wonderful tales. The Heaven Bridge is following the Fairy Tower, which is shorter than 100 meters and narrower than 1 brick, and with cliffs along both sides. Those succeeding in passing the Bridge will be awarded Wall Heroes. On the very peak, connected with the Heaven Bridge, is Capital-Watching Tower, titled the Upmost Cultural Peak of Beijing, with a height of 986 meters above sea level. Walk up and enter the Tower, we may enjoy the white snow of Wuling Mountain to the east, the grand Great Wall to the west, the romance to the north, and capital lamplight to the south. All the outstanding sights will make us feel relaxed and happy. Deep in the valley, there’re two springs called Mandarin Duck Springs. The east one is cold, while the west is warm. The two springs join into one lake, half cold and the other half warm.
All the features make Simatai Great Wall, with its historic meanings, the famous scenic spot for traveling, exploration and inspection.

Hutong

Beijing 's hutongs, lanes or alleys formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old beijing residents live, witness the vicissitude of the city.
The word "hutong" originates from the word "hottog" which means "well" in mongolian. villagers dig out a well and inhabited there. hutong means a lane or alley, in fact the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old beijing residents live. be care not to lost in it! it was recorded that in the yuan a 36-meter-wide road was called a standard street, a 18-meter-wide one was a small street and a 9-meter-wide lane was named a hutong. in fact, beijing 's hutongs are inequable ranging from 40 centimeter to 10 meter in wide. the longest has more than 20 turns. either in east-west or north-south, beijing 's hutongs varied as slant, half or blind hutongs" cul-de-sacs. the gray-tiled houses and deep alleys crossing with each other in identical appearance like a maze, you will find it much fun to walk through but be care not to lost yourself.

Hou Hai

Houhai is a lake in Beijing, part of the Shichahai lake area. In recent years it has become famous for nightlife because it is home to several popular restaurants, bars, and cafes. Houhai first became popular with modern establishments on the newly constructed Lotus Lane in 2003. The area is especially popular with foreign tourists visiting Beijing, but is also often visited by the expatriate community and younger locals. The Houhai area is the kind of place you can visit anytime: during the day you can enjoy the peaceful lakeside setting, and in the evenings the area transforms into party central. In summer the area is guaranteed to overflow with groups of tourists and locals unwinding and enjoying some wind in the Beijing heat.  Hiring a boat, or sometimes swimming in the lake, are popular summer activities.  You don’t have to wander very far to wind up in one of the Hutongs in the surrounding area. The place offers abundant bars and restaurants. Drinks are quite expensive and so is the food. A good choice for the budget traveller is the Kejiacai Restaurant offering food and drinks at a fair price. There are also some nice restaurants to be found inside the Hutongs, which also offer a nice opportunity for strolling around. An open area at the entrance to the lake becomes a public dancing square in the evenings;  even if you lack the spontaneity to jump in and join in the fun, it is still wonderful to watch couples demonstrate their ballroom dancing skills.

Silk market

Silk Street market is located in Xiushui East street, Chaoyang district, abuts on the southeast of Ritan embassy and consulate. Now there are 410 booths and nearly a thousand staffs working here. Yearly turnover amounts to over RMB one hundred million. Most of the foreign costume sold here are given prominence to culture connotation of the tour, including silk production and souvenirs, etc. It is a silk street contacts both Chinese and foreign civilization. Silk Street is one of the most famous markets after reformation and open up policy (the other one is Yabaolu apparel market). Silk Street is located in "the first embassy district", east of Jianguomen. In the north is Embassy of the U.S., in the west is Qijiayuan Foreign Flat, in the east is the East Bridge residential area. There are about 250 booths in Silk Street before. Most of them run business of garment. Because there are many embassies here, the street is also called Embassy Street.
 After several years' development, Silk Street has now become one of the most famous business streets all around Beijing. Here you can purchase not only chinese traditional silk products and exquisite handicrafts, but also many kinds of foreign well-known brands. Many customers here are foreigners with roman nose, golden hair. They bargained with blunt Chinese and at the same time gestured to the peddleries.
Most of the peddleries in Silk Street can recommended their products and bargained with simple foreign languages, some of them even told the price on calculator. It can be called one of Beijing's famous scenes.
 A great deal of products in Silk Street are marked with processing or buyback arrangements. You can frequently find some famous foreign trade marks which could only be found in fashion magazine. As the story goes a Italian bought some italian famous costume and watches. They were authenticated true after he went back Italy! So Silk Street attracts many young men for fossicking.

Panjiayuan Folk Culture Market

Beijing Panjiayuan Folk Culture Market is located at the southeast of Panjiayuan, South road of East third ring road, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Covering an area of 48,500m, it is divided into six sections: Roadside stands, Ancient Architecture, Classical Furniture, Modern collection, Sculpture and Stone Engraving, and the Catering section. Trading mostly in antiques, handicrafts, ornaments, and other collectibles, Panjiayuan has an annual revenue of several hundred million yuan. Having more than four thousand shop owners, this market has nearly ten thousand shop assistants in which sixty percent are from the other twenty eight provinces and municipalities except Beijing. People here come from a variety of backgrounds, there are more than ten minorities of Hui, Man, Miao, Dong, Uigur, Mongolian, Korean, and other ethnic groups of China. Founded in 1992, this market has developed along with the success in business in folk antiques and handicrafts. Diffusing Chinese culture, it has become a large, quaintly classical market of antiques and handicrafts.
The Beijing Panjiayuan Folk Culture Market is the most popular antique market in China. All the shops are open 365 days of the year with roadside stands open every weekend. This market has the most complete collection of antique goods in China. The market has classical furniture, traditional writing tools such as ink brushes, ink sticks, ink slabs, and paper. There are also new and old books and magazines, calligraphy and paintings, agate and jade, pottery and porcelain, Chinese and foreign coins, eloquent carvings of bamboo, wood, and bone, shadow play with puppets made from donkey hide, facial makeup in traditional Chinese operas, items of Buddhism, costumes and garments of Chinese ethnic groups, and relics of The Great Cultural Revolution, just to name a few.This market is a display, an exchange platform, and a paradise for collectors. It is also the largest collecting and distributing center of folk handicraft in China. One could find a Hengshui snuff bottle, Yang Liuqing Spring Festival picture, Jiangsu embroidery, Dongyang wood carving, Quyang stone engraving and sculpture, Shandong shadow play, Jiangxi porcelain and crystal ornament, Yixing boccaro ware, Shanxi bronze ware, Yunnan costume, article of Tibetan Buddhism, Sinkiang white jade, Taiwan cross toe poetry, and infinitely many other things.These diverse folk handicrafts come from every part of China and are gathered in the Panjiayuan market, where they are traded to other provinces and to the rest of the world.